Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps you identify self-defeating thoughts and feelings, challenge the nature of irrational and unproductive feelings, and replace them with healthier, more productive beliefs. Once identified and understood, negative thoughts and actions can be changed and replaced with more positive and productive behavior, allowing you to develop more successful personal and professional relationships.
REBT focuses on challenging and disputing irrational beliefs. One of the goals of REBT is to challenge irrational thought processes and their resulting consequences (such as unhealthy behaviors or even increased negative thoughts).
The core tenets of REBT can be summed up with the ABC model:
- Activating events, which are difficult or undesirable, happen.
- Beliefs around these events may be rational or irrational.
- Consequences, either positive or negative, arise from our rational and irrational beliefs.
Challenging unhealthy beliefs is summed up by DEF:
- Disputing or restructuring irrational beliefs and thoughts
- Creating more effective, efficient beliefs and thoughts
- Feeling better by incorporating these new rational beliefs and thoughts in response to activating events